Dragunov Nerfs in Tekken 8 explained

In recent months Tekken 8In Bandai Namco Entertainment's release, Dragunov had to be knocked down with the game's infamous hammer several times to keep the overall balance. From launch, Dragunov proved to be a problematic character due to how strong his moveset was, and as a result he quickly gained popularity among fans – especially the pros involved in tournaments and ranked matches. Despite the occasional nerf situation, it has retained its status as one of the Tekken 8the most powerful characters. However, the 1.09.01 patch update released on October 29th made some much-needed balance changes to shake up the status quo, hitting Dragunov and Alisa with some mundane tweaks.

Dragunov Nerfs are the gift that keeps on giving in Tekken 8 Patch 1.09.01

Dragoon nerfs became something Tekken 8Almost every update is eagerly awaited by the community, and Bandai Namco is struggling to restore some semblance of order to the gameplay. While the developer still has a lot of work to do before ranked matches are treated as a level playing field, patch 1.09.01 aimed to make “adjustments that were made to suppress the performance of some of Dragunov's overpowered moves. The following methods received a nerf in patches:

• Ultra Russian sickle
• Low holding
• A double whammy
• Heat Engager

Hitbox and Damage Nerfs Coming to 'Razer' Heat Smash and Low Swipe

Dragunov's Ultra Russian Sickle (Heat Smash activated by pressing 2 and 3 while on heat) has been a big source of complaints in the community. The hitbox was too large to escape from, and players reported taking damage from the third attack even after successfully dodging the first two hits. Although the existence of such a problem has no official explanation at this time, Bandai Namco has responded by reducing the duration of the attack and limiting the hitbox area of ​​the third attack. This fix makes it less likely that opponents who dodge the first two attacks will be penalized for moving away from Dragunov, as proven in earlier versions.

In this patch, while the Ultra Russian Sickle nerf may grab the headlines, other techniques in his repertoire also received significant nerfs. Dragunov's Low Swipe (which made him one of the Tekken 8the best Punish characters) are not left unscathed, as this move now only does 14 damage, down from 17 before the patch note was released. However, while the patch brings some welcome changes, many fans claim that the issue was not the damage dealt, but rather the tracking and launch frames.

Dragunov's Low Swipe is a low attack homing with a super fast starting frame and decent range, making it nearly impossible to track with your eyes. This advantage makes it one of the most reliable ways to get damage or quickly end matches that go down to the wire. Reducing the damage dealt by three points makes Low Swipe a little less of a death sentence, but doesn't solve the underlying problem and thus doesn't do much to change the perception of it as a strong technique.

Bandai Namco is revisiting Dragunov's Double Kick and Heat Engager in a new patch

Along with Ultra Russian Sickle and Low Swipe, Tundra Slash has been another homing thorn in players' sides for a long time. Previously nearly impossible to dodge, the new update has made it a little easier to avoid lethal damage. If the first kick misses, the second kick's tracking performance and hitbox are significantly reduced, ending scenarios where players dodge the first kick only to be met with the second.

The attack is now more linear, and players can lock on Dragunov immediately after the first miss and punish him for flying past the mark, as the second shot is almost guaranteed to miss. Also in Bandai Namco's Dragunov hit list is an ignition lock. This move is one of the most powerful moves in his repertoire due to its utility – previously providing benefits such as easy knockdowns and wall stuns to create deadly combos on opponents.

Bandai Namco has stripped away these aspects of its usefulness, but still gives Dragunov a +8 frame advantage on a successful hit, keeping opponents close. It's unclear if the developer is done with Dragunov's nerfs now, but these new changes have gone a long way to shake up Tekken 8current goal.